Blogging from SoHo & Meeker

Mirk at 5:30am

Thanks to my friend Jan, and the loan of her ultra kewl netbook, I'll be blogging from the road. In route and at the dog trials of Soldier Hollow and Meeker I'll be providing hot gossip, news from the trial fields, pictures and results from 2 of the most prestigious, profitable and hotly contested dog trials of the year. I've always referred to Soldier Hollow as the best party of the year, and Meeker...well it's Meeker, what I say?

Over at Heather Nadelman's Sheepdog.com Bev Lambert and Amanda Milliken are at it again, blogging their way through thousands and thousands of road foundering miles, and unbeknownst to them, providing me with the status of their dogs' readiness. 2 of the greatest sheepdog handlers in North America, I still can't beat either of them, but I'm taking every advantage and that won't stop me from trying. I mean we're talking about a deep bench of pure talent in the Milliken camp, and recently retired Bev with nothing but time on her hands to run the legs off her dogs, up against me and Mirk. But, hey, I think we gotta shot! It's a bit like David and an immutable rock wall, I mean Goliath, but we're working at it here...And don't even get me started on the rest of the roster that reads like a who's who of the best of the best. After a couple year's off due to this stinking economy, I'm just happy to be among them. Heh, heh, heh...

So, my on-blog trial ticker tells me I have 13 days until lift-off, I mean SoHo, and what does that mean to me? I'll tell you what it means to me...lots of 5:30 awakenings so I can get out and train my dogs before the summer time inferno blasts wide open. It's 90 degrees here in the shade by 9am these days. It also means not only training the legs off my dog, but walking my own off as well. You see, other than some much appreciated (MUCH!) help from the lovely and talented Ms. Llona Brandenburg, I work by myself a lot.  I have to set my own sheep before I can send for them. And since I'm working big, like 500 yards, I'm schlepping back and forth with everything I got. It builds charachter, right? It also steels me for the tough competition ahead. I don't want to work this hard and come up empty handed, right? Well, that's my theory anyhoo.

So join me for a rollicking good time on down the road. I promise to include the good, the bad, and the ugly, some of my own shortcomings, and whatever else happens along the way. And it all begins in about 13 days. See you there...